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rlh242424 asked in PetsFish · 1 decade ago

Fake aquarium plants?

It appears that my fake aquarium plants are building up algae on them. I have 2 algae eaters in the 30 gallon tank. What is the safest way to clean those plants without harming my fish. Tank is stable and has been for several months now.

Update:

Thank you all for your prompt answers. I will just use hot water and clean them. This has been building up and is not something that just happened. I have been giving the algae eaters some time to clean it up.

4 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Just take them out and rub as much as possible off with your hands or a towel. Running hot water over them helps too.

    MM

  • 1 decade ago

    When algae builds up faster than the algae eaters can keep up then add more algae eaters or periodically clean the plants by hand with fresh water; safe and simple. Do not use any cleaners.

  • 1 decade ago

    Pull them out, and wash them with tap water, using your fingers to rub off the algae.

    Dry them off with a paper towel and put them back in the tank.

    You don't need to use cleaners on them.

    However, an algae outbreak is usually a sign of your nitrate levels in your tank being too high so you might want to look into that. You can get test kits at most pet shops that sell fish stuff.

  • 1 decade ago

    Since they're fake, you can just take them out and scrub them with a CLEAN toothbrush and water. You should be able to get them completely clean this way.

    If you have stubborn spots, you can use normal, household bleach (not gel or anything), but make sure that you use a lot of dechlorinator in with the plants before returning them to the tank, and it's really best to NOT use the chemicals unless absolutely necessary.

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